Railroad-gate



(No Model.)

D. M. DEWITT. RAILROAD GATE.

No. 476,738. Patented June '7, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT UEE CE.

DAVID M. DEWITT, OF BEE BRANCH, ARKANSAS.

RAILROAD-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 476,738, dated June 7, 1892.

Application filed January 9, 1892. $erial No. 417,465. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, DAVID M. DEWITT, of Bee Branch, in the county of Van Buren and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and Improved Railroad-Gate, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved gate, which is simple and durable in construction, Very effective and automatic in operation, and designed for use on railroads,roads, 650., to be opened and closed by the approaching and departing train or wagon.

The invention consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be hereinafter described, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in which the figure is a perspective view of the improvement.

The improved gate comprises a gate proper, formed of two panels A and A, arranged in line with each other, said two panels A and A being mounted to slide in posts B and 13, arranged on opposite sides of the track or road, the bottom rails of the said panels traveling, respectively, on friction-rollers O and C and C 0', held in beams C and 0 extending transversely from the sides of the track or road, and also carrying the posts B and 13, previously mentioned.

The bottom rail of the panels A and A is provided with extensions A and A so as to guide the panels on both rollers when the said panels are closed, as will be plainly seen by reference to the drawing. The panels are pivotally connected at their outer ends near the bottom by links D and D with arms E and E, secured on the shafts F and F, extending longitudinally in line with the railroad or road.

On the outer ends of each shaft F and F are secured short arms G and G, pivotally connected by links H and H, respectively,

with connected sections of the track-rails, so as to form a platform I, hinged at its outer end to swing up and down. As will be seen, such a platform I is arranged on each side of the gate proper, and in case of a road the rails are dispensed with and the platform is covered by boards or planks for the wagons to travel on. \Vhen the panels A and A are closed, the platforms I are in their uppermost position-that is, their free ends extend above the level of the railroad-track or road. outer ends of the panels A and A are also pivotally connected by the links K and K, respectively, with crank-levers L and L, pivoted on posts N and N, erected on the beams C and C The outer arms of the bell-crank levers L and L carry weights 0 and O for causing a return movement of the panels after the train or wagon has passed the gate.

The operation is as follows: WVhen a train approaches the gate, it passes from the fixed rails of the track onto the rails on the hinged platform I, so as to depress the latter. The downward-swinging motion of the platform causes a turning of the shafts F and F by means of the links H and H and arms G G, respectively. The turning of the shafts F and F causes the arms E and E to swing outwardly, so that the links D and D push the panels A and A out in opposite directions. The gate is opened and the train can pass through the open gate. It will be seen that by the turningof the shafts F and F, as

described, the other platform on the opposite side of the gate is also caused to swing downward, so that a continuous track is made for the train to pass. As soon as the train has left the platform on the opposite side of the gate the weights 0 and O of the bell-crank levers L and L move downward, thereby causing the panels A and A to slide inward toward each other again to close the gate.

If the device is applied on a road, the operation is similar to that above described, the approaching wagon passing up the platform I, pressing the same downward to open the panels A and A, and at the same time imparting a downward movement to the other platform on the opposite side of the gate. When the wagon has left the second platform, the panels A and A are returned into a closed position by the action of the weighted bellcrank levers L and L, as above described. As shown in the drawings, the top rails of the panels A and A travel under friction-rollers B held in the posts B and B.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The 1. In a railroad-gate, the combination, with panels mounted to slide and hinged platforms forming sections of the track, of the longitndi nally-extending shafts F F, provided with the arms E E between their ends and the arms G G at their ends, the links D D, pivoted to the panels and to the arms E and the links H H, pivoted to the platforms and to the arms G G, substantially as described.

2. In a railroad-gate, the combination, with sliding panels and hinged platforms forming sections of the track, of the longitudinallyextending shafts F F, provided With arms G G at their ends and arms E E between their ends, links D D,pivoted to the panels and to crank levers, substantially as herein shown 20 and described.

DAVID M. DEWITT.

WVitnesses:

TY M. OUTLAND, GEO. F. OUTLAND. 

